Four places to go for a winter road trip in the U.K

The Causeway Coast
It's no secret that one of my favourite places in the U.K is Northern Ireland and the Causeway Coast is up there as my all-time favourite place in the U.K. I'm so excited to be heading back over the Bank Holiday weekend. It's such a beautiful place in the world and there is so much to do. The Causeway Coast runs from Derry to Belfast and is full of lots of little gems. The places to see are endless and thanks to the short distances between places you can see so much in such a short amount of time. My personal favourites include Balintoy, Portstewart, Derry and Binevenagh Mountain.

The Scottish Highlands
There's nowhere better in the U.K for a road than Scotland in my opinion. The vast open road is so beautiful and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. It's so hard to believe you're in the U.K. We were lucky to have friends who moved to the Highlands so we took full advantage. The Highlands are full of little cute villages, incredible castles, very friendly locals and picturesque beaches. If you're basing yourself near Inverness, make sure you schedule in Tarbat Ness lightbouse. Here you'll catch seals and dolphins which will be the highlight of your trip!

Cardiff
I've visiting Cardiff a handful of times now and it's got a special place in my heart. The city is the perfect size for a couple of days, with no end of delicious restaurants to enjoy and many streets to get lost in. I'd definitely recommend a trip to the castle and a wander along the bay - spot some Touchwood and Doctor Who filming sights while you're there!

Plymouth
There's just something about being by the sea isn't there? Plymouth isn't the prettiest of places but there is so much fun to have there! Make sure you book in a tour at the Plymouth Gin distillery, take a trip over to Cornwall on the boat, trek to the top of the lighthouse and take a stroll around the cobbled streets of the Barbican.

Do you have any recommendations on where to go for a U.K road trip?

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The best places to buy houseplants

Since I've moved out I've been on a mission to turn my home into a mini jungle and I'm slowly getting there. My houseplant collection is building up slowly but surely and I've even managed to keep them alive. Lets just not talk about when I killed a cactus within my first few months of being in my new home. I've got so much better! But I've discovered not all house plants are created equal and some companies will try and make you take out a bank loan in order to afford to buy them. So here are a few good-value places I've discovered along my quest.

IKEA
This Swedish giant is so much more than just flat-packed furniture. It also boasts a killer house plant selection. They aren't the cheapest I've found but they're definitely not the most expensive. The plants on offer always look really lush and well looked after. I picked up my Aloe Vera plant for just £3 which was a completely bargain considering how huge it is. It's getting so big to that I'm going to have to re-pot it soon.

Lidl
Lidl change their houseplant selection around quite frequently so once you see one you like, you have to buy it straight away. It might not be there next time you visit! The selection isn't massive so its a place you have to have patience with. Keep popping back until they have one you like. My beloved cheese plant is from here and it's gone from strength to strength. Not bad for around £4!

Bloombox Club*
I did a piece on houseplant subscriptions at work and as a result I got to try out Bloombox Club. My comped subscription has now come to an end but I loved it. After we've paid for Vegas in the New Year, I'm going to sign up for it again. You can choose to sign up for every month or for a maximum of three months and Bloombox will send you a plant. It costs £17 for one without a ceramic pot and £35 for one with a pot. I have loved all three plants I've received and the pots have been great too. All so different from the last one.

Homebase
It almost becomes the law that once you move out you start to spend all your weekends in Homebase. It was during one of these many trips that I became obsessed with the house plant selection. They have so many to choose from and again they don't cost the earth. This is probably one of my favourite places for the sheer number of different species.

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Restaurant review: Blanchette, Soho, central London

Blanchette is a French bistro offering small, tapas-style dining in the heart of Soho, tucked behind the manic Oxford Street. I'd heard of it before but it wasn't really on my radar so when one of my friends suggested it for a Sunday night dinner I was game.

The waitress explained that we should order 2-3 dishes each which I feel is standard for many small plates restaurants. There were three of us so we opted for a few snacks along side a couple of meat dishes and sides. So what did we order? To start we had a bowl of olives and a brown bag of crusty bread with salted butter,  quickly followed by crispy Longhorn beef with a creamy parsnip puree and a favourite truffle honey drizzle. That dish was probably my favourite of the bunch. The other meat dish was a tender braised lamb shoulder with anchovy, rosemary and a soubise sauce - a buttery onion sauce. For the sides we had delicious spiced Moroccan spiced peppers on top of a grilled chewy flatbread with a perfectly poached egg. Next up was a green bean salad with aged comté cheese and a walnut and shallot dressing. This was incredibly moreish. Of course no French meal is complete with cheese to finish. I opted for a generous plate of aged comté again as I couldn't get enough. It came with plenty of crisp breads and a mound of chutney. Just what was needed to finish off the meal!

We had a two hour slot but they very kindly allowed us to stay for 2.5 hours which was so lovely. Quite often in London they can be very strict, sometimes rushing you along with still 20 minutes to go, so it was a nice touch that they were pretty laid back. The waitress was very attentive and knowledgeable which always makes a dining experience so much better. Blanchette isn't cheap and it can work out very expensive if you are quite greedy - as I always am. But the quality of the food is very high and the presentation looks great, so I do really think it is worth it. I don't very often opt for French cuisine when I eat out so it made a really lovely change.

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